The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 159
159fury.
===============================
Inside the general store, which is already in shambles, two flashes of light are moving at high speed in an irregular trajectory..
Sh—sh—sh—sh——!
Following its movement, blood spattered throughout the store, soaking the ceiling and floor..
“Ugh!”
"100 million!”
Jack, who had been glancing inside the warehouse and out the window, stood up completely and looked out without realizing it..
‘this… … What, what is going on??’
A moment later, when the two arrows returned to the customer's hand, there was not a single gunman standing..
Jeopuk- Jeobok—
"……Are you the boss??”
When the customer raised his left hand, the body of one of the assailants rose into the air, perhaps through telekinesis..
“Whoa, who are you? Well, that arrow just now couldn't have been……."
"From now on, the only time you can open your mouth is to answer my questions..”
Blah blah blah——
"town—!”
It wasn't visible, but it seemed like something was blocking the gunman's mouth..
At that point, Jack grabbed the doorknob and Hannah grabbed his forearm..
"Jack, it's dangerous.……."
"no, it'll be okay.”
I couldn't figure out how someone who did such horrible things could be okay........
Squeak—
I was certain that the only thing I could trust now was that unidentified customer..
He first approached Uncle Hans, who was lying on the counter..
"Everything, I'm glad……."
There was still breathing. She seemed to have suffered a heavy blow and temporarily lost consciousness..
Jack sighed in relief and turned his head to look at his 'guest'..
"excuse me… … Who are you??”
He had his hat pulled down tightly and he even had a mask on, so I couldn't see his face at all..
"At least you're not a real guest.?”
Jack, if nothing else, was quick-witted..
This man came here on purpose..
It felt like they were coming for these monsters..
however…….
“My friend was kidnapped, Jack.?”
Does this guy even know his own name??
"Well, how do you do that?……."
"Was that friend's name Jane??”
“……Yes, that's right!”
He nodded and approached Jack..
"jack......."
Hannah pulled his clothes from behind, but Jack instead went forward..
"I think I can help, what do you think??”
"yes? Hey, by the way… … who are you?”
Maybe it was the most basic question.
But the man—Lee Hyun-wook—was silent for a moment..
***
he was worried.
‘Would it be better to reveal your identity here? no… … You don't have to..’
The best surprise attacks happen when the enemy doesn't know Steelein is here..
Therefore, it was right to block all concerns about information being leaked even if possible..
Of course, you may have noticed because you repeated a lot of Steele-like behavior just before.,
‘I guess I don't know yet.’
If Michael Jordan was playing basketball on a basketball court in a remote neighborhood while hiding his identity, who would think that Michael Jordan was there in person? One would think of him as a master imitating a similar style—today, Lee Hyun-wook's fame has spread across the world, but not everyone knows his characteristics..
"well……."
At that time, the girl standing behind her came forward..
"if… … Is this the person Jane's father sent you??”
Lee Hyun-wook wondered what this meant..
“……Jane didn't talk about herself much, but I heard it while we lived together. Because of a quarrel with her strict father, Ji ran away from home. And my father… … He said he was quite a high-ranking man..”
"And sometimes, he joked that his father might come looking for him.……."
Perhaps Jane, the spirit's daughter, vaguely explained her situation..
‘It's also an obvious story. The king who told him not to go to the human world and the princess who went anyway…….'
If you build a certain level of friendship with the Spirit King's daughter here, a 'Hidden Quest' will be activated later..
‘And this guy here is going to be the performer of that quest..’
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the blonde, thin man in front of him. Jack Hamilton, Spirit Guardian…….
Although he is not a very strong player, he will later be active in scenarios related to the Spirit King..
"therefore… … You're the one sent by Jane's father, right??”
Hanna asked again, Hyunwook Lee neither confirmed nor denied.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you the details..”
However, it seemed like the two had already reached their own conclusion..
"W, as expected, Jane was the daughter of a famous guild master.?”
"Somehow… … It seemed like the cute guy wasn't from around here.……."
After talking like that, Jack scratched his head and looked confused..
"however… … I don't know what we can do to help..”
"That's right, I actually don't know who kidnapped Jane..”
The two people spoke anxiously, and Lee Hyun-wook nodded as if he knew..
"I need your help, but not now, but later. instead……."
He lifted up the long-haired assailant who was lying on the floor..
There was a gag in his mouth, probably made of metal, but all his teeth were broken..
“……Right now, I think I might need a little bit of your help..”
It was a matter of finding out who was taken where..
And Lee Hyun-wook’s interrogation success rate has been 100% so far..
***
In the dark, a cylindrical water tank was set up in a spacious space..
And inside, a girl with green hair was sleeping naked..
"......This woman looks like your species.?”
The man wearing horn-rimmed glasses licked his lips as he looked at the fascinating naked body..
"No, they are things that do not have a body to begin with. It's just a body assembled after us.—”
The person who said that was a woman with dark skin and red eyes.,
The pointed ears sticking out through her long silver hair proved that she was not human..
“Haha—I know that well. I am also an elementalist in name and description..”
At those words, the dark elf snorted..
"Well, your spirit training skills were so poor that it was of no help..”
“……I feel sad when you say that. Didn’t we provide that tank too??”
"You know it well, right? You wouldn't have been able to catch that precious slave with your skills alone.—”
Ugh—the man smiled darkly and began to closely examine the girl in the cylindrical tank..
“Anyway, everything is perfect. If you use this pretty girl as bait to provoke the Spirit King, he will try to create a tsunami and wipe out Yggdrasil due to the nature of his foul-tempered race. Ugh—I’m looking forward to it..”
Even the dark elf, who was sharp all the time, had a strange smile on his face at that point..
"In that moment of confusion, our troops will open a massive portal and land..”
"Yes, that is the pinnacle moment! Ugh—I look forward to it..”
"and… … We must not forget that we own Yggdrasil..”
In their eyes, the end of the city called Yggdrasil seemed to be already looking good..
***
Rootlet Town, in Korean, it can be interpreted as a small root village..
It was a self-mocking implication that they were on the outskirts of Yggdrasil..
In the center of the place stood a tall four-story building with a sign saying ‘Shopping Center’..
Hyunwook Lee sat on a bench in the desolate park in front of him and lifted up the Mana Messenger..
“Team Leader Kim, I’m ready.?”
- Yes, I'm waiting.
This voice was Sehee Kim. She and her Park Jun-mo were now waiting about 1km away..
Immediately after coming to the commercial district with Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Hyun-wook disappeared, saying he had caught something.,
The two people were not embarrassed and were waiting somewhere for Lee Hyun-wook's instructions..
When Lee Hyun-wook apologized for this, Kim Se-hee snorted, saying, ‘Well, once or twice?’.
Anyway, Hyunwook Lee left Jack and Hannah in their charge and instructed them on the future operation..
“That big building painted green over there, that's the target..”
From the outside, it looks like a shopping complex, but there was no way something like that could exist in a slum..
Hans, the store owner who woke up after fainting earlier, told him the identity of Rutlett Shopping Center..
'……It's a kind of criminal hub where criminal organizations within Yggdrasil gather..’
The world's least powerful country, home to the world's most valuable city…….
The operation of this place was ultimately destined to be controlled by overseas guilds..
And since there was no control from public power, there was no way those big guys would shy away from doing dirty work..
However, rather than handling such dirty work directly, he wanted to have an ‘errand boy’.,
Naturally, those who gained power among the poor began to borrow from the dirty work to make a living..
The place where they gathered was that shopping center... … It was a so-called crime hub..
And there was a strong possibility that Jane, the Spirit King's daughter, was imprisoned there..
"Maru, can you check to see if I can feel the spirit’s energy within me??”
At those words, a rather heavy piece of metal wriggled inside the backpack..
「Hmm— let’s see.…….」
The Spirit King's daughter is, of course, a water spirit. And spirits can travel back and forth between the phenomenal world and the material world..
In other words, since it cannot be restrained simply by physical means, something called a ‘spirit prison’ must be used..
「Yeah, I feel it, I feel it—he's pretty powerful, but he's having a hard time.!」
Maru was a calm person among the spirit colony, but he became very excited when he heard that voice..
「I know what this is! If it's this loud... … The ‘essence’ is being eaten away.!」
Spirit prison was a strange magic that bound the ‘essence’ of spirits existing in the ‘phenomenal world’..
When that happens, the spirit falls into a kind of despair that cannot simply be described as 'pain'..
So, if you are trapped in it for a long time, you will go crazy like a colony of spirits..’
「Ugh——!」
Maru, as if a bad memory was coming to mind, he flinched as if he was going to kick out his backpack at any moment..
"Maru, calm down. That spirit, we will save it..”
「Phew—yeah, did you all hear that? Just calm down and wait! It's nothing special, why??」
Maru scolded the other colonies as if he wasn't impatient..
But the guy's voice was shaking and he seemed very angry..
‘I'm worried that there are elementalists and black elementalists in there.…….'
Spirits are based on the properties of nature. And isn't nature often said to be fickle??
The spirits also had the uncontrollable nature of nature, where they could fly at any time..
That's why elementalists say that building trust with spirits is as difficult as dealing with children..
'If you can't do it patiently, you will be pressed with force and become a black elementalist..’
That was the reason why Kim Se-hee had no choice but to spend quite a long time getting to know Hani..
‘I'm not an elementalist, so if I make a mistake, Maru may explode again..’
So, Maru, it was necessary to be very careful not to let this spirit colony move uncontrollably..
"Now, will you eat this and stay quiet until I ask you to??”
What Lee Hyun-wook held out was none other than a grade 1 spirit stone..
- Oh, I really did ask for this precious thing.?
While Lee Hyun-wook was busy, Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo saved it..
"Yeah, absorb it quickly..”
When I put it in the bag, the floor must have started absorbing it, and a faint light leaked out of the backpack..
Lee Hyun-wook thinned the metal to create a curtain to block the light, then walked forward..
"Now, we're entering. Please get ready..”
- Yeah, then I'll make a fuss..
Lee Hyun-wook casually walked out and glanced behind him..
Whoo-ooh-ooh——
About 50 meters away, a gust of wind began to spread from an alley... … It soon becomes a huge whirlwind, skimming across the roughly paved road and heading towards the hive.?
"Hey, look, there was a tornado.?”
"Wow, this is my first time seeing a natural phenomenon like that..”
However, strangely enough, in that wind…….
Phage support——!
Blue-blue currents mixed together to create a bloody scene..
“……Is that a natural phenomenon? Well, that's not just an attack skill.?”
The two large figures standing at the entrance of the hive had no choice but to turn their heads in that direction..
"Uh oh— shit, it's coming this way.!”
"Hey, don't be scared! It's getting weaker.!”
“……I know? Is it really a natural phenomenon??”
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook used 'Stealth' with Gyges' Ring and landed on the roof of the Hive..
There were a lot of guards there, but they were distracted by the commotion going on on the ground..
however… … There was also a guard standing in front of the rooftop door. The security staff was somewhat excessive..
‘They probably kidnapped the Spirit King's daughter and strengthened security..’
Although I was still in hiding, I couldn't even hide the sound, so I moved stealthily and hid behind the cooling tower..
"Maru, open the floor here.”
At his words, the concrete on the floor melted like cheese..
coo coo coo coo coo coo coo——
A hole big enough for one person to fit in was created, and Lee Hyun-wook jumped into it..
chin—
4It was on the floor, in a room with the lights off. Musty smell, seemed like the place hadn't been used for a long time..
"Okay, can you re-ceiling the ceiling??”
「Yeah, I also have that much sense, so I don’t have to say it in detail..」
Soon the hole in the ceiling narrowed and the sunlight coming from outside disappeared completely..
"So the spirit's scream... … That means it's ringing underground.?”
「Yeah, it's still a long way down..」
I thought I would have to go down about 5 or 6 floors more like this..
At first, they tried to enter the basement by cutting a hole in the floor near the building..
But the security outside the building was too tight, and the ground was too thick..
In other words, there was a risk of being discovered because that side would generate more mana and noise..
Hyunwook Lee closed his eyes and sensed the moving metal, taking control of the metal downstairs..
'There are very few people here on the 4th floor, but the downstairs is different..’
In this way, you could scan first, then drill a hole in a place where there were no people and go down..
'And before going down, you have to disable the CCTV first..’
CCTV is usually located near the ceiling. Hyunwook Lee sensed it and destroyed his internal circuit board..
"Okay, there are no CCTV or people directly below..”
coo coo coo coo coo coo coo——
After hearing those words, Maru created a hole in the floor again and Lee Hyun-wook threw himself into it..
"huh?"
however… … Immediately after landing lightly on the third floor, I witnessed an unexpected scene..
I made eye contact with a muscular black man, and he… … was naked.
And behind him, as expected, stood a naked, tattooed white man..
"What is this bastard? Where did you suddenly fall from??”
I looked around to see what kind of absurd scene this was, and this was the locker room. And right next to me, beyond the wall, I can feel a lot of metal moving, so I guess it's like a gym.?
"hey! what are you—”
Sigh——!
At that moment, something fell from the ceiling and hit the black man on the head..
It was a large block of concrete, and the black man fell forward..
Then, a rebar came out of the ceiling, twisted like a snake, and entangled the white man's neck..
“Ugh!”
Wow—
Before the guy had time to resist, a bloody sound of the cervical spine being broken was heard..
Before Hyunwook Lee could react, Maru took care of it right away..
「how is it! I said I had this much sense.?」
"yes, good job.”
「Tsk—you’re not the type to give compliments, man.…….」
Lee Hyun-wook crammed them into the locker room and went down one floor again. As expected, it was in some room..
what? 3rd Floor? Okay, security team 1 is on the way now..”
Judging by the commotion coming from outside the door, it seemed like they had noticed that the CCTV was broken and started to inspect it..
But probably no one would have thought that they would sneak in like this..
"There's someone down here, and the room next door is empty. Could you please tear down the wall??”
In this way, I chose a place with no people and finally reached the first floor..
「Almost there! It's right downstairs.!」
But I couldn't just go down here..
If they had succeeded in kidnapping the Spirit King's daughter, there would have been many dark elf elementalists..
‘And especially when dealing with a forest elementalist in a narrow space, you are quickly caught up..’
Lee Hyun-wook knew well the fighting methods of the tribe called 'Forest Elementalists'..
Their main weapon is the seeds that grow naturally in the 'Green Hell', an eroded area in Berlin. If you spray it and command the forest spirits to 'grow rapidly', the seeds will ignite in an instant and a man-eating plant will bloom..
Among them, the 'vine' type was so tough that it was difficult to cut it unless it was moglai..
‘And those wood properties are the most difficult to deal with with metal properties..’
Therefore, the answer was to fall right on top of the spirit prison where the spirit king's daughter was imprisoned and snatch her up..
‘Don't wait too long and escape right away..’
Even if a battle took place, the open air had to be used as the battlefield to avoid vines..
“……It looks like it should fall right on top of it, where exactly is it??”
「Umm... not here. You have to cross at least two walls..」
It was a wall, and there was a lot of metal moving beyond that wall..
"If you go out into the hallway for no reason, an alarm may sound.……."
Lee Hyun-wook summoned AD-2 from his right wrist and took out ‘Black Rhino’ from within it..
“I need to break through these two walls right away..”
「Then, you can destroy this wall, then the next wall, and then the floor.?」
Lee Hyun-wook nods his head after thinking..
"Yes, let’s go quickly..”
coo coo coo coo coo coo coo——
Soon the wall in front of me collapsed like a sand castle..
“Ugh—what is this all of a sudden?!”
Lee Hyun-wook broke through the dust and climbed over the collapsed wall..
And then, I made eye contact with the people across from me..
"huh?"
In a dark room, there was a large table..
In front of him, two men were exchanging something while facing each other..
- Player (LV：57)
- Player (LV：66)
"Looks like some pretty big guys were making some bad deals.?”
This is a hotbed of crime, there was no way a conversation could be healthy in such a dark room..
"What is this again?—”
One of the large men standing at the entrance stepped forward, but was immediately pierced in the neck by a silver flash..
“shit—”
Only then did they realize the situation, as the eight criminals present twisted their bodies and pulled out their weapons..
However, Hyunwook Lee was much faster. He pulled the pump on the Black Rhino and fired at the table..
Qua—ang——!
Two nameless, defenseless giants were thrown and thrown against the wall..
The guys standing around took out their enchanted guns, but…….
"Uh, this—”
Instead of firing, the gun disintegrated and scattered in all directions..
"Open the floor and walls—!”
If there was this much commotion, even downstairs would notice, so a quick resolution was needed..
Kwa-and-and-and-and——!
Immediately after, the ceiling, walls, and floor merged into one, swallowing five or six people at the same time..
Lee Hyun-wook ran forward, pulling the pump of Black Rhino, and climbed over the wall again..
The moment I finally landed on the floor at the target point, I felt the floor rippling like water..
「It's time, get ready—!」
At that moment, the floor sank and his body began to fall under gravity..
Sssssssssssssssssss—
Hyunwook Lee took out three ‘Fly Eyes’ from inside AD-2 and activated ‘Night Vision’.
‘—If you hesitate even a little, you will get entangled in the man-eating vines.!’
In the field of view secured with night vision, I saw a fairly spacious first basement floor, with many people looking up at the ceiling in horror. There were as many as thirty people, a mix of players and dark elves..
And in the center, I saw a large cylindrical water tank. There was a girl in it.
「That's it, that's the spirit prison!」
However, the unidentified capsule was protected by a mana thread. That is, it was not possible to contact.
Lee Hyun-wook aimed the Black Rhino towards that place and fired a 'destruction spray'..
Kwa-and-and-and-and——!
With an explosion, five magic circles bloomed and all the shells poured out..
‘shit—’
But the mana shield did not break, and the enemies began to respond..
"Catch that guy—!”
Sssssssssssssssssss——
Behind Lee Hyun-wook's back, a Mogley emerged from AD-2's subspace..
Pushing his body towards the tank, he grabbed the mogley and swung it with all his might..
T-huh——!
Finally, the thick mana shield came off..
At that moment, a black magic arrow hit his side..
This level of damage was okay. but…….
- Dark Elf Forest Elementalist (LV)：67)
Those were pretty big problems. Sure enough, they scattered the seeds widely..
‘Damn it, if I get tangled up in that, it's over..’
「I hit it off!」
The concrete floor exploded and scattered fragments like a shotgun..
The seeds that flew into the barrage were swept away and bounced far away..
「What do you think, good sense??」
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook hugged Jane inside the capsule and soared into the sky..
"no——!”
Leaving behind someone's screams, Lee Hyun-wook escaped to the first floor and threw himself out the window..
“After— now……."
Lee Hyun-wook rolled on the floor, got up, and lifted his body into the air while holding Jane..
And then he extended his left hand towards the building..
“……This entire dirty building is torn down..”
Immediately after, Maru peeled off the concrete of the building, and Lee Hyun-wook dented the H-beam inside..
Comments